What are the best ways to keep your workers happy in the office? This is a question that’s coming up more and more these days as burnouts and general job dissatisfaction cause high churn rates and expensive employee turnover. As a business, you want to avoid having to go to recruiters every week to find new people to fill roles in your organisation. So what can you do to keep workers happy? Let’s take a look.
Create a healthy environment
So many offices these days are unhealthy, and workers know it. They want to work in environments that support their well-being and long-term health. The best way to do this is to offer a healthy environment. This could include things like:
- Using the right type of lighting to fit their circadian rhythm
- Offering wellness classes at lunchtime so they know how to be healthy
- Keeping the temperature in the optimal range for workers between 19°C and 23°C
Make sure you have a HVAC preventative maintenance plan so your equipment doesn’t let you down. The wrong climate in the office can massively reduce productivity and worker wellbeing.
Offer radical flexibility
Another power move to keep workers happy is to give them radical flexibility. The best way to do this is to establish so-called core hours, which most companies operate between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. These let workers decide when they start and finish while also allowing them to mingle with their colleagues if they need to.
Another option is to implement “results-oriented work” or ROWE. Instead of focusing on desk time, you focus on output. If an employee is able to get all of their tasks done in two hours, then you respect that. You don’t just give them additional work for the sake of it, and you allow them to go home as long as they’re producing what you’ve asked of them.
Use intentional workspace design
Many companies are now implementing so-called intentional work space design. The idea here is to remove the cubicle farm and replace it with something that feels more natural and human. For example, you might have some quiet zones for deep work and lounge areas for casual conversations with colleagues. You might also include biophilic design by adding plants and greenery to the workspace. These have been shown scientifically to reduce stress and help people become more productive long-term.
Add high impact perks
Another option is to provide workers with high-impact perks. A lot of offices will provide them with boxes of fruit that they can take freely in the morning. But there are many other things that you can do that can make a massive impact on their quality of life. For example, you could support commuting by offering secure bike storage, or you could outline clear budgets for professional development workshops and books. Many employees feel happy when they’re growing and progressing. They don’t want to feel like they’re stagnating in their careers or their lives.
So, which of these strategies will you use to keep workers happy?